Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Books of Possible Interest to You Coming out Soon!

Kensington, February 23, 2016


Below are some books that I have recently received.  

Three VERY different books. The first is a novel of small towns and lingering love. The second is a political satire set in the Old South.  The last book is set far into the future and challenges traditional gender roles.

 Some will, in the end receive a review, others I am just sharing with you as Shout-outs for you to choose if you wish to read them or not.   Regardless - enjoy!

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Welcome Back, A Smokey Mountain Novel
Lin Stepp

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains, Lin Stepp's sweet and touching story follows one woman's journey back to the home--and the husband--she left behind…

When Lydia Cunningham left her husband and moved to Atlanta ten years ago, it was with equal parts sadness and certainty. She loved her home in North Carolina, with its lush green hills and crisp, clean air. And in truth, she still loved John, too. But she could no longer live with her mother-in-law's constant criticism and the distance it created in her marriage.

Now, thanks to a job offer at her alma mater, Lydia is moving back, renting the old country house where she and John lived as newlyweds. She hopes to strengthen the frayed ties with her daughter, Mary Beth, and build a relationship with her grandsons. As for John--it's clear from the moment Lydia sees him standing in her doorway that he hopes they might rekindle their bond. The spark between them hasn't dimmed--but neither have Lydia's memories of past hurts. Yet in this magnificent landscape that's always felt like home, she might find a way to forgive and begin again…

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Story River Books, April 2016

All the Governor's Men
A Mountain Brook Novel


A political satire that reimagines George Wallace's last run for governor of Alabama.

It's the summer of George Wallace's last run for governor of Alabama in 1982, and the state is at a crossroads. In Katherine Clark's All the Governor's Men, a political comedy of manners that reimagines Wallace's last campaign, voters face a clear choice between the infamous segregationist, now a crippled old man in a wheelchair, and his primary opponent, Aaron Osgood, a progressive young candidate poised to liberate the state from its George Wallace–poisoned past.


Daniel Dobbs, a twenty-one-year-old Harvard graduate and South Alabama native, is one of many young people who have joined the campaign representing hope and change for a downtrodden Alabama. A political animal himself, Daniel possesses so much charm and charisma that he was nicknamed "the Governor" in college. Now he is engaged in the struggle to conquer once and for all the malignant man Alabamians have traditionally called "the Governor."


This historic election isn't the only thing Daniel wants to win. During his senior year, he fell in love with a freshman girl from Mountain Brook, the "Tiny Kingdom" of wealth and privilege, a world apart from his own Alabama origins. A small-town country boy, Daniel desperately wants to gain the favor of his girlfriend's family along with her mentor, the larger-than-life English teacher Norman Laney. Daniel also wants to keep one or two ex-girlfriends firmly out of the picture. In the course of his summer, he must untangle his complicated personal life, satisfy the middle-class dreams of his parents for their Harvard-educated son, decide whether to enter law school or launch his own political career, and, incidentally, help his candidate defeat George Wallace in a close and increasingly dirty race.


All the Governor's Men is a darkly comic look at both the political process in general and a significant political chapter in Alabama history. This second novel in Katherine Clark's Mountain Brook series depicts the social and political landscape of an Alabama world that is at once a place like no other and at the same time a place like all others.

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CreateSpace, December 2015
A Tale of Moral Corruption

How does a successful man plummet into a world of male escorts, kinky sex, and barbaric death matches?

In this female-dominated world, 28-year-old Mason is comfortable with his job as a tax clerk. His real ambition is to be a loving father and supportive husband. He's especially looking forward to wearing the new artificial womb that so many men have strapped on their bellies. But first, Mason must be chosen as a husband.

He's listed on the Approved Partner Registry, a website that profiles men and their qualifications. It's used by successful businesswomen who don't have the time or inclination to date. Now it's a waiting game.

In the meantime, he volunteers at the company's co-op daycare. He keeps his body in good physical condition. He even took a remedial course with a sex surrogate when the registry listed him as a premature ejaculator. His diligence will pay off when he is selected as a mate.

But when he is dropped from the registry because of an indiscretion at work, his life begins to unravel and it doesn't look like anything can stop his fall from grace.